Akane Koga and Naru Toki were fighting back to back in the middle of the battlefield. Enemy soldiers were steadily increasing around them.
"Naru, this can't go on like this!" Akane shouted, swinging her sword. "Their numbers keep growing!"
Naru, with his swift movements, incapacitated a few more enemies. "You're right, but we need to hold on a bit longer. We're buying time for the others!"
Akane nodded and used her elemental power to repel a group of enemies. "I hope we've bought enough time. We need to retreat without suffering any more losses."
Just then, two powerful figures appeared at the edge of the battlefield. Kenshin Seiryo was advancing with Asahi Xigua by his side. Naru's eyes narrowed at the sight of them.
"Damn it, now the real trouble begins," said Naru, trying to catch his breath.
Kenshin shouted in a booming voice, "Jun Tribe warriors! Your resistance is futile. Surrender, or your end will be painful!"
Asahi Xigua stood beside him, surveying the battlefield with an icy gaze. "Kenshin, let me handle these pitiful ones. It'll be over quickly."
Akane turned to Naru. "It's time to go. We can't risk any more losses."
Naru nodded. "You're right. Give the order to retreat. I'll cover the rear."
Akane shouted in a loud voice: "Everyone RETREAT! RIGHT NOW!"
The warriors obeyed the order and began to withdraw. Naru made one last move to distract the enemies, while Akane directed the retreating soldiers.
Kenshin roared in anger: "Don't let them go! Pursue them!"
Naru's speed ability had provided enough time for those retreating. The Jun Tribe warriors, despite suffering heavy losses, managed to withdraw safely for the most part.
As they moved away from the battlefield, Akane looked at Naru. "This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Naru nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, I'm afraid so. But at least we survived today. Tomorrow... tomorrow we'll make a new pl—"
His words were cut short. Naru suddenly crashed to the ground. Akane hesitated in surprise and when she looked, she saw Asahi, half-transformed into a cheetah. There was a huge grin on Asahi's face. Akane reflexively pulled back her sword.
Naru lost consciousness for a moment from the weight on top of him and a solid kick to his head. Blood spurted from his mouth. Asahi shouted with a victorious manner: "Naru Toki, which of us do you think is faster?"
"Fire Element: Flaming Breath!" Kenshin shouted. His target was Akane; a large wave of flame was coming towards her.
"Ice element: great mass!" Akane said as she plunged her sword into the ground. A huge ice wall in front of her blocked the incoming flame, which spread around the wall.
"How long will you last, Akane Koga! Let's see which of us will be exhausted first." There was a big smile on Kenshin's face too.
These two monsters were eager to fight. When the ice wall melted, the flames had already stopped. "Kenshin Seiryo! You're an insolent brat," Akane shouted.
Both had paused, Akane had pulled her sword back from the earthen ground and pointed it at Kenshin.
Meanwhile, since Asahi's feet were on Naru's head, Naru couldn't see his surroundings properly and couldn't escape. "You've already lost, my revenge and my family's has begun!" said Asahi, his voice tone now calm and his face serious, no longer smiling.
Naru spoke with difficulty. "R-Run... Akane!"
"No, I won't leave you behind!" said Akane, gripping her sword tighter.
"We won't kill you, Naru. You might be useful to us," said Asahi. "But I can't say the same for this lady."
"You got what you wanted, leave her alone." Meanwhile, he was trying to escape from Asahi's cheetah feet, but the pressure was too much. "If I hadn't been fighting for hours, I would have escaped by now, damn it I'm so tired," Naru thought.
"I should leave some fun for Kenshin, shouldn't I? Hahaha watch a good fight from here, Naru, there won't be a replay." Asahi's face was smiling again.
Akane took a deep breath. "Activate, Storm of the Wind!" As she said this, lights seemed to emanate from her eyes. The straight sword in her hand suddenly transformed, growing larger with a wave of air surrounding it. She pulled the sword back towards her left shoulder, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands, placing one foot back and the other forward as she tensed up. Suddenly, she lunged at Kenshin. Kenshin, smiling, didn't move, deliberately allowing the attack to cut through him. A wide horizontal gash opened in his stomach, blood splattering around. "Is that all you've got?" said Kenshin with a mocking laugh.
Akane had cut through him. When she turned back, she saw the blood flowing but realized the wound wasn't deep enough. Kenshin turned his face to Akane, his wound healing rapidly. "You'll need more than that to harm me." He looked at Akane with a terrifying grin.
Suddenly, he lunged at Akane. He brought down his right fist hard, but Akane deflected the attack with her sword.
Kenshin advanced quickly towards Akane. He clenched his right hand into a fist. "Fire element: Flaming Fist!" he shouted. He swung his flame-covered hand towards Akane's face. Akane dodged the punch at the last moment by bending down, but Kenshin's left knee hit her stomach. Akane, breathless, staggered backwards. The flames on Kenshin's fist extinguished.
"Come on, is that all?" Kenshin taunted. "Do you really think you cut me?"
Akane gritted her teeth and gripped her sword tightly. "Dance of the Wind!" she cried out as she lunged at Kenshin. Her sword sliced through the air, opening a deep gash across Kenshin's chest.
Kenshin groaned in pain, but his smile didn't fade. The wound began to close rapidly. "Nice move, but not good enough!"
Akane was panting heavily. Kenshin, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. Akane attacked again, this time aiming for Kenshin's arm. The sword cut Kenshin's arm, but once again, the wound healed quickly.
"Damn it!" Akane shouted. "How are you still standing?"
Kenshin laughed. "I'm immortal, little girl. Did you think someone as weak as you could harm me?"
Akane made one last attempt, gathering all her strength to plunge her sword into Kenshin's chest. This time, the wound was deeper and took a bit longer to heal.
But Akane was now exhausted. Her sword fell, and she collapsed to her knees. Kenshin grinned as he waited for his wound to heal.
"Now it's my turn," said Kenshin. He grabbed Akane by her hair, lifting her up, and delivered a hard punch to her face. Akane's nose broke, blood spurting from her mouth.
Kenshin threw Akane to the ground and started kicking her. With each blow, Akane's bones cracked. As Akane writhed in pain, Kenshin continued his relentless assault.
"That's all," said Kenshin, delivering one final kick. "A weakling like you could never defeat me."
As Akane lay motionless on the ground, Kenshin smiled with a victorious expression.
Naru somehow managed to escape from Asahi, but due to the fatigue from the battle and his depleted energy, he struggled to move. "If I hadn't been fighting for hours..." he thought, while shouting out loud, "Akane!!"
Naru fell to his knees, looking in shock at Akane lying on the ground. "You got what you wanted, why don't you let her go!" he cried out.
Asahi approached Naru. "You shouldn't associate with the weak, Naru. You're quite powerful now and should work for us. Besides, we have no reason to let this girl go. She stood no chance against Kenshin, but she's strong against others."
Naru shouted angrily, "Let her go! If you want me to join you, I'll do it, but if she dies, it won't happen. Only my corpse will leave here."
Asahi crouched down, looking closely at Naru. "Hmm, she seems quite important to you. Killing her might be better to trigger you."
"I... love her. If she dies, I'll have no reason to live," Naru lied. He hadn't actually thought about it in detail. He got along well with Akane, they hung out together when they had time, but he hadn't involved his feelings. Thinking about it, though, he realized he might actually feel something. Seeing her lying there like that pained him.
Despite all the blows, Akane was still conscious, barely breathing. When she coughed, blood came from her mouth. Ignoring her broken bones, she tried to sit up in pain. She didn't have the strength to stand; using her hands to barely lift herself, she looked at Naru. Bloody tears flowed from her eyes, her face unrecognizable.
"What do you say, Kenshin, shall we let this sweet girl go?" Asahi asked.
"If you want Naru on our side that badly, it's possible. I can beat her again if necessary." Kenshin was tense, still filled with the desire to fight, but he was confident that the Jun tribe would completely scatter and flee. He eagerly waited for the right time to attack again.
"Of course I want him. Besides being strong, his teleportation makes our travel easier," Asahi nodded.
"Alright then, you can go, Akane Koga, but know that if you cross my path again, you'll die." Kenshin clenched his fists tightly, his face serious. He walked over and hoisted Naru onto his back. "Don't even think about escaping or making any sudden moves. You know I won't die, don't let all your efforts go to waste."
They left, leaving Akane behind.
"Why ah— Naru, you should have escaped, you idiot..." Akane screamed in pain. Her tears and pain wouldn't stop.
After a while, she lost consciousness. A few warriors from the retreating Jun tribe passing nearby picked her up and took her away.